Chad Daybell trial set to start in April 2024

Chad Daybell, the husband and codefendant of convicted murderer Lori Vallow, is scheduled to face a jury trial starting April 1, 2024.

Daybell faces multiple felonies including three counts of first-degree murder, one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, two counts of criminal conspiracy and two counts of insurance fraud.

The couple are accused of murdering Vallow’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “J.J.” Vallow. The bodies of both children were found buried on Daybell’s property. The couple also are accused of conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife who died just two weeks before the couple married.

The trial will be held in Ada County as District Judge Steven Boyce approved a motion by Defense Attorney John Prior to move the trial from Fremont County.

Vallow was found guilty May 12 on charges similar to those Daybell faces after a trial that lasted more than a month. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 31. Her defense attorneys, John Thomas and James Archibald, have filed a motion for a new trial, citing an interview in which a juror said the jury instructions were confusing.

If convicted, Daybell faces a minimum of 10 years in prison or up to a life sentence. He also could face the death penalty, a sentence the prosecution chose to not pursue in Vallow’s case.